Chinese Fate Calculation

THE CHINESE SCIENCE OF FATE-GALCULATION
by
Chao Wei-pang*
CONTENTS
H is to r y :1 ) origin, 2) before the IV. The Old M e t h o d :1 ) birth and

TJang Dynasty, 3) Li Hsii-chung, death of the 5 elements; 2)
4) Hsii Tsu-p^ng1 and Hsii Ta- official emolument; 3) fate, horsey
sheng wealth; 4) body; 5) the factors
II. The Doctrine of the 5 Elements considered together
and System of the 10 Stems and V. The New M e th o d :1 ) official，2)
the 12 Branches s e a l , 3) wealth, 4) food, 5) a
III. The 4 Pillars and Fatal Periods conclusion
VI. Conclusive Remarks
“Fate-calculation” is the literal translation of the Chinese term

fuei-ming 推命 . It is also called lu-ming 祿命 , which means “official
emolument and limit of life ，，
，because it is supposed to be an art to forecast
the official rank one will get and how long one will live. It is one branch of
Chinese fate-telling. •
It is a common belief of some old peoples that the heavenly bodies
are of influence over the destinies of human beings. There is no doubt
the Chinese fate-calculation took its root in this conception，but it grew
up in the field of the doctrine of yin-yang and the 5 elements, and
consequently it became a science quite different from astrology.
The doctrine of the 5 elements is of great importance in Chinese
folklore. Nearly everywhere we can find its application. The present
paper is the first attempt of the author to investigate its manifestations
in the various aspects of Chinese life.
I. HISTORY OF CHINESE FATE-CALCULATION

1 . The Origin
Some scholars, past and present, have given their respective
answers as to when the Chinese fate-calculation system originated. Most
* The author is indebted to Mr. Li Hsin-wu 李龛午 ;^ an assistant of the Department

of Sociology of the Fu-jen University, for the explanation of some difficult points in
the books of Chinese fate-calculation.
279
280 CHAO W EI-PANG
of them are inclined to push its origin to a very remote period, but their
arguments are not conclusive. First, Lix Ts'ai 呂才 of the T， ang dynasty
said that the fate-calculation idea had been very flourishing during the
West Han period1. He pointed out that Sung Chung 宋忠 and Chia I
賈證 at the beginning of the Hans ridiculed the deceit of fate-tellers and
that Wang Ch’ung 王充 during the East Han period expounded the theory
of physiognomy. In fact what Sung Chung and Chia I ridiculed was fate-
telling in the general meaning of the word; it cannot prove the existence
of the fate-calculation based on the principles of the 5 elements in the Han
dynasty. In Wang Ch'ung's Lun Heng 論衡 the problem of fate is surely
much discussed and physiognomy is often referred to but fate-calculation
is never mentioned. Contrary to the idea of Lil Ts’ai，this fact can be
taken as negative evidence of the existence of fate-calculation in the Han
dynasty. If it had existed, Wang Ch， ung would have mentioned it in his
discussions.
Secondly, Ch， ao Kung-wu 露公武 of the Sung dynasty pushed the
origin to a more ancient period2. He pointed out as argument that the
names of the 5 elements and those of the heavenly stems had existed at
the times of the Hsia and Shang dynasties and that Cheng Hsilan 鄭玄
of the Han dynasty in h*is commentary to the Shih Ching mentioned the
auspiciousness or unauspiciousness of the six things, viz. the years,
seasons, months, days, stars and lunar conjunctions. There is no doubt
that the 10 stems and 12 branches originated very early, and the doctrine
of the 5 elements arose, though comparatively later, not later .than the
period of the Waring States. But their existence cannot prove that they
were used then for fate-calculation. What Cheng Hsuan says can only
be taken as evidence of the existence of the idea that one’s fate, good or
bad, is connected with the time when one is born. It cannot prove the
existence of the. method of fate-calculation.
Thirdly, Sung Lien 宋濂，a scholar of the Ming dynasty, wrote
an essay, Discussions on Fate-telling 祿命辨 3; he copied all that Ch， ao
Kung-wu had said and did not attribute the origin of the method of fate-
calculation to any definite time.
Lastly，Wu Chin-fang吳震方 4，a scholar of the Ch’ing dynasty,
contrary to the above-mentioned three, dated the origin to too late a
period. According to him Chinese fate--calculation was invented by Li
Hsii-chung 李虛中 of the Tang dynasty. The scholar Chao I 趙翼 5，a
1 ) Chiu T’ang Shu 奮唐書，chiian 79.

2) Chiin-chai Tu-shu Chih 郡齋讀書志，chiian 14.
3) Sung Hsiieh-shih Wen Chi 采學士文集，cM an 16.
4) Tu-shu Chih-i 讀書質疑，in the Shuo-ling 說鈴 •
5) Hai-yii Ts’ung K ’ao 晓餘叢考，chiian 34.
THE C H IN E SE SC IEN CE OF FATE-CALCULATION 281
little later, criticized Wu Chin-fang, pointing out that the method of fate-
calculation developed to a very complicated system in the time of Li Hsii-
chung but it was not invented by him. Prof. Teng Chih-ch’爸 ng 部之誠 3
of the Yenching University has held the same opinion as Wu Chin-fang
and says that Hsii-chung was the tzu of Li Mi-ch’ien 李彌乾 . In fact
Li Mi-ch， ien was a Buddhist astronomer1and was not one and the same
person as the famous fate-calculator Li Hsii-chung.
Surely the belief in fate existed in China from very early times7.
On one hand it was believed that fate was determined or given by Heaven;
on the other hand that one’s fate, good or bad, was connected with the
time, auspicious or unauspicious, in which one was born. From the Shih
Ching we can quote a few lines expressing this idea:
“O Heaven who gave me birth !
Why was it such an inauspicious time?”8
“I was born at an inauspicious time.
It happened that Heaven was in great anger.”9
But it was in the Han dynasty that the problem of fate was most discussed
by scholars. The prevailing theory of that time was the doctrine of the
three kinds of fate 三命說 advanced by Confucianists. According to it
there are three kinds of fate: 1 ) The normal fate 正命，th at is also called
great fate 大命，fate of longevity 壽命 or fate received (from Heaven)
受命，2) The fate following behaviour 隨命 . It means that if one
behaves well, good luck and happiness will /tom e; otherwise misfortune
must arrive. 3) The third kind includes those who meet with great dis
asters or misfortunes, although they show good behaviours. It is called
fate suffered 遭命 . In such a classification, the second and third kind
of fate are in fact exceptions from fate in the real sense of the：word.
Such a doctrine seems to have originated in an atmosphere of extreme
belief in fate. It was an antithesis to the thought of the time.
The beliei in fate, especially the belief in the connection between
fate and the time of birth，was only the ideological background of the
origin of fate-calculation. The center of fate-calculation is the time in
which one is born as designated by the system of the 10 heavenly stems
and 12 earthly branches. Therefore in order to know its origin we must
first make an inquiry into the development of the system.
6) Ku-tung Suo Chi 骨董瑣記，chiian 5. p. 22.

7) The etymological evolution of the character ming 命 in ancient times is
discussed in detail by Fu Ssu-nien 傅斯年 in his Hsing Ming Ku Hsiin Pien-cheng
性命古訓辨證，Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, 1940.
8) Shih Ching, Hsiao-ya, Hsiao-pien 小牟 .
9) Shih Ching, Ta-ya, Jou-sang 棄桑，
282 CHAO W EI-PANG
According to Ts’ai Yung’s 蔡扈 Yueh-ling Chang-chil 月令章句 7

the invention of this system is due to Ta Nao 大撓，a minister of Huang-
ti, who “studied the properties of the 5 elements and calculated the
revolving motions of the constellation (Ursa M ajor)’’，and thereupon
devised the 10 stems to designate the days and the 12 branches to designate
the months10. Huang-ti is a mythological emperor; the invention of the
stems and branches by his minister is of course not believable. But it
is probably true that the 10 stems were originally names of a cycle of
10 days. The Yin people, as we can see in the oracle inscriptions, counted
days by hsiin 旬 i.e. a cycle of 10 days. In the Tso Chuan 左傳 it is
， 11
also said that there were 10 suns in the sky; and an ancient legend says
that Hou I 后弈，the famous archer, had shot down 9 suns and only one
was left12. The Chinese call the sun and the day by the same name. It
may be because in ancient times the people counted days by ten and called
them by ten different names, then they said there were ten suns -in the
sky. However, it must be in a very remote time that the 10 stems were
used to denote the cycle of 10 days，because in the oracle inscriptions of
the Yin period, the most ancient document preserved, the sexagenary
cycle, which is formed by combining the 10 stems with the 12 branches，
had been used in designating the days.
The 12 branches were originally called 12 ch， en 辰 or lunar
conjunctions. They are equal in number to the 12 months of the year,
therefore they are used to designate the months. The Chinese hours are
also designated by the 12 branches; and most recent of all, the day was
divided into 12 hours designated by the branches. According to Ku
Yen-wu 顧炎武 it is first found in the annotation by Tu Yu 杜預
13，
of the Chin dynasty to the Tso Chuan.

The year is generally designated by a stem-branch. According
to Liu Shu 劉極 14 and Ku Yen-wu15 this began from the 5th year of
Wang Mang (13 A.D.).
From the above consideration we see that the days were designated
by the 60 stem-branches and the months by the 12 earthly branches from
very early times, but that the designation of years by the stem-branches
are comparatively later facts. The fate-calculators use the day, month
and year, in which one is born, as designated by the stem-branches to
represent one’s fate. (At first the hour was not used.) And the stem-
10) Wu-hsing Ta-i，chapter I, section 2.

1 1 ) Chao-kung, 5th and 7th year.
12) Huai-nan Tzu 推南子，Pien-ching Hsiin 本經訓 .
13) Jih-chih Lu 月知錄，cM an 20.
14) T'ung-chien W ai Chi 通超外紀，Preface to the Table of Contents.
15) Jih-chih Lu, chiian 20.
THE CH IN E SE SCIEN CE OF FATE-CALCULATION 283
branch of the year is held to be more important than that of the day in
the older system of fate-calculation. Hence, the origin of the Chinese
fate-calculation cannot be very early. It cannot be earlier than the time
when the years were first designated by the 60 stem-branches, viz. the
period of Wang Mang. We have said，in the Lun Heng, a book written
in the Later Han dynasty, the problem of fate is much discussed but
fate-calculation is never mentioned.16 Moreover, the corresponding*
element of the stem-branch of the birth-year is taken as the most
important factor in the fate-calculating.17 The system that each stem-
branch has a corresponding eleirênt is not found in any book of the Han
dynasty, though its invention is traditionally held to be due to Kuei-ku
Tzu 赵谷子，who is said to have lived in the Chou dynasty. The
earliest book in which it is mentioned, as far as we know，was written
by Kuan Lo 管車§• in the period of the Three Kingdoms18. Therefore, in
most probability the fate-calculation originated in the later years of the
Later Han dynasty.
2. Famous Fate-calculators before the T’ang Dynasty
The first expert fate-calculator we know in Chinese history is Kuan
Lo. He was able to fore-tell that he would not live beyond 47 or 48 years.
He said, <rMy fate is with yin 寅；I was born at night during a lunar
eclipse. Heaven has a fixed number, which can be known; but the
[common] people do not know it .，，19 We do not know how he calculated
the limit of his life. His book is entitled Tien Yang CMefe 天陽訣 *
It is lost，but we find in the Wu-Hsing T o r i 五行大義 one sentence
which might be quoted from it20.. It reads, “By the containing note
納音 (i.e. the element representing the stem-branch of one’s birth-year)
judge one’s fate.”21
In the time of the South and North States (420-589) fate-
calculation was especially flourishing in North China. From the Dynastic
Histories we can find the following fate-calculators:
T，ao Hung-ching 陶宏景，a Taoist，who wrote the San-ming
Ch'aoliieh 三命抄略 and the San-ming Li-cheng Suan-ching 三命立
' 成算經'
16) Cf. p.
17) Cf. p. '
18) Cf. next section.
19) San Kuo Chih 三國志，chiian 29.
20) Chapter III , section 4.
2 1 ) About the containing note see page 292.
22) Liang Shu 梁書， chiian 5 1 . His works are mentioned in the T，
ung Chih
通志，I_wen L ii e h 塾文略 .
284 CHAO W EI-PANG
Sun Seng-hua 孫僧化，who wrote the Lu-ming Shu 祿命書，2

cM an23.
Hsii Tsun 許遵，an expert diviner and fate-teller in the period of
the Emperor Shen-wu 神武帝 of Ch， i. He was able to fore-tell that he
would not become rich and noble, nor suffer an untimely death24.
Wei Ning 魏寧，high adviser of Emperor Wu-ch’Sng 武成帝 of
Ch， i. Once the Emperor gave him the day, month and year of his birth
but said that they were those of another man, and asked him to tell the
fate of the man. He said，“This man is rich and noble to the utmost
extent, but he will enter his grave this year•” In point of fact the
Emperor died that year25. ,
In the Sui dynasty Hsiao Chi 蕭吉，tzi^ Wen-hsiu 文休，was a
scholar of wide knowledge and expert in fate-calculation. In the 4th
year of K ，ai-huang.開皇：（ A.D. 594) he presented a memorial to the
Emperor to praise him according to the principles of fate-calculation.
He wrote the Wu-hsing Ta-i，5 chiian, and some other works26. Another
expert fate-calculator of the Sui dynasty was Lin Hsiao-kung 臨孝恭，
whose work on fate-calculation was entitled Lu-ming Shu ;祿命書，20
chiian21.
All the books of fate-calculation before the T’ang dynasty have
been lost except Hsiao C hi， s Wu-hsing Ta-i，which chiefly deals with the
general principles of the 5 elements but only occasionally with fate-
calculation. But in the Chiu T’ang Shu 舊唐書 *we can find a paragraph
of Lu Ts’ai’s criticism on fate-calculation.28 It makes reference several
times to the Lu-ming Sim，which is probably a book written by Sun
Seng-hua or by Lin Hsiao-kung. From it we see that fate-calculation
had developed to a very complicated stage before the Tangs and it was
not different in essentials from the calculation of the later day schools.
3. Li Hsii-chung
The famous fate-calculators of the T’ang dynasty were Monk
I-Hsing 僧一行，Sang Tao-mao 桑道茂 and Li Hsii-chung. Monk
l-hsing, whose family name was Chang, a native of Ch’ang-lo 昌樂，Wei-
chou 魏州，wrote the Lu-ming Shih 祿命詩， 1 chiian. Sang Tao-mao
23) Pei Shih 北史，chiian His work is mentioned in the Hsin T，

ang Shu
新唐書，I-wen Chih.
24) Pei Shih, chuan 89.
25) ibid.
26) ibid.
27) ibid.
28) chuan 79.
THE C H IN E S E SCIEN CE OF FATE-CALCULATION 285
was a famous diviner and fate-teller in Ch’ang-an 安長 in the period of

Ta-lin 大麟（ 767-779); he wrote the Lu-ming Yao-chileh 祿命要訣，1
chiian. Their books are now lost29.
The most famous fate-calculator of the T’ang dynasty was Li
Hsii-chung, tzu Ch’ang-jung 常 j 容，who got the chin-shik degree in the
11th year of Cheng-yiian 貞元 (795) and was an imperial censor in the
period of Yiian-ho 元和（ 827-835) • It is said in his Epitaph written by
Han Yii 韓愈，a famous essayist of the T’ang dynasty, that he had deep
knowledge in every subject, especially in the doctrine of the 5 elements.
From the reciprocal actions of the stems and branches of the day, month
and year in which one was born he considered and inferred the length or
shortness, dignity or humbleness of one’s life, and foretold that a certain
time or year would be favourable or --unfavourable to one; then one tried
to use the favourable and avoid the unfavourable. He never failed.
But his method was so complicated that no one could follow it.30
According to the San-ming T， ung-huei 三命通會 he learned the method
of fate-calculation from Li Mi 李泌 and Li Mi from Monk I-hsing31.
Li Hsii-chung’s Ming Shu 李虛中命書 is the oldest book of
fate-calculation existing now. Its text is now ascribed to Kuei-ku Tzu
but only its notes to Li Hsii-chung. According to the Ssu-ku Ch， uan Shu
Tsung Mu 四庫全書總目 it probably was originally a book of the
T’ang dynasty, but it seems to have interpolations from later times,
because the term “four pillars’ ，四柱 32，which originated in the Sung
dynasty, and some official titles of the Sungs are found in the second
p art; it is ascribed to Kuei-ku Tzu in order to dazzle the reader33. It may
be true that the Ming Shu was originally written by Li Hsii-chung. Of
all the bibliographies compiled under the Sungs no one assigns its
authorship to Kuei-ku Tzu but all to Li Hsii-chung34.
29) Chiu T’ang Shu, chiian 191. Their works are mentioned in the T，
ung Chih,
I-wen Liieh.
30) Wu-pai-chia Chu Han ChJang-li Wen-chi 五茛家注韓昌黎文集，chiian 28.
3 1 ) chiian 3，Tzu-p*ing Shuo-pien 子平說辨 .
32) Cf. p. 294.
33) chiian 109, tzu-pu 子部，shu-shu 數術 2.
34) In the bibliographies compiled in the Sung dynasty Li Hsii-chung^ Ming Shu
is mentioned under different titles; In the I-wen Chih of the Sung Shih 宋史藝文志
it is mentioned as Li Hsii-chung Min Shu Ko-chii 李虛中命書格局，2 chiian; in the
ung Chih it is entitled Li Hsii-chung Ming Shu 季虛中命術，1
I-wen Liieh of the T，
chuan, and Ming Shu Pu-i 命書補遺，1 chiian; in Ch’ao Kung-wu，
s Tu-shu Ghih
雜公武讀書志 it is Li Hsii-chung’s M ing S h u 李處中命書 3 chuan.
286 CHAO W EI-PANG
Li Hsii-chung held a prominent position in the history of Chinese

fate-calculation. It is a pity that the present edition of the Ming ShuZ5^
is incomplete and with later interpolations. We have no way of recon
structing his method. According to the San-ming T， ung-huei the ancient
fate-calculators used the stem-branch of the year in which one was born,
but Li Hsii-chung- used that of one’s birth ニ
day, as the leading factor, and
thus he made a change in the method of fate-calculation36. However, as
the Ming Shu shows, he belonged to the old school.
4. Hsii Tzu-p'ing and Hsii Ta-sheng

Another prominent fate-calculator after Li Hsii-chung was Hsii
Tzu-p'ing 徐子平 . About his life we know very little. It is said that
his name was Hsii Chii-i 徐居易，Tzu-p， ing was his tzu, and he was a
hermit in Hua-shan 華山 in the period of the Five Dynasties (908-960)37.
He is so famous in fate-calculating that his name has become a common
term for fate-calculation from the Ming dynasty. The Chi-niao P ， ien
己瘧編 says，“At the present time there are different schools of fate-
tellers : the school of Tzu-p，ing，the school of the five stars, etc. The
scholars and officials are glad to consult with the Tzu-p， ing school，
because it is reasonable and often hits right in fore-telling one’s life, rich
or poor, honourable or humble. It is said that in the Sung dynasty a
man，whose name was Hsii Tzu-p’ing，was expert in fate-calculating; the
fate-calculators of later generations who followed his method were simply-
called Tzu-p’ing*.”38 The invention of the new method of fate-calculation
is generally ascribed to him.
Hsii Tzu-p'ing wrote a Commentary to the Lao-lu Tzu San-ming
Hsiao-hsi F u 路錄子三命消息賦，a book of fate-calculation prevailing
very much in the Sung dynasty. The author of this book is unknown.
The Chih-chai Shu-lu Chieh-t’i 直齋書錄解題 says about it, “The
present book is considered by the fate-calculators as their proper canon.
Its style is vulgar. Probably it is written by a man who for money
calculates fate for people in the street.，，
39 The SSu-k'u Ch’uan Shu
Tsung Mu says, “This books is first mentioned in the I-wen Chih 藝文志
of the Sung Shih 宋史，and according to Ch’ao Kung-wu^ Tu-shu Chih
35) The present editions，the Mo-hai Chin Hu 愚海金壶 edition and the Shou-
shan-ko Ts’ung-shu 守山閣邀書 edition，of the Ming Shu are reprints of the Ssu-
k’u Ch’uan Shu 四庫全書 edition，which copied the text from the Yung-lo Ta Tien
永樂大典 • It is composed of 3 chiian.
36) chiian 3，Tzu-p^ng Shuo-pien.
37) Liu Y ii 劉玉，Chi-niao P ’ien，in the Shuo Fu 說郛，chin 17.
38) ibid.
39) chiian 12.
it began to circulate in the period of Hsiian-ho 宣和 and Chien-yen 建炎

(1119-1131). Hence we consider it was written by a man of the North
Sung dynasty，，.40
The San-ming Hsiao-hsi Fu had, besides Hsii Tzu-p'ing, four
commentators in the Sung dyriasty: 1 ) Li T’ung 李企 from I-ch’un 宜春
(Kiangsi), who wrote his commentary in the 4th year of Chia-yu 嘉祐
(1087). 2) Wang T’ing-Kuang 王廷光，whose book was offered to the
emperor in the 5th year of Hsuan-ho (1123). 3) Monk T’an-Ying 僧鋒
璧，native of Chia-ho 嘉禾 (Chekiang), and a monk at the temple
T， uei-chu An 退居蕃 in Lin-an 臨安 . He had deep knowledge In the
theory of the I Ching and he interpreted the San-min Hsiao-hsi Fu from
the point of view of this theory. He finished his commentary in the 1st
year of Chien-yen (1127). 4) Tung-fang* Ming■東方明，whose com
mentary was entitled San-ming Fu Shu 三命賦疏メ1
A similar book .to the above is the San-ming Chi-mi Fu 三命ネ旨
迷賦 . Its author is also unknown; its commentary is said to have been
added by Yao K， o 岳河 of the Sung- dynasty. According to the Ssu-kfu
Ch’uan Shu Tsung M ufA2 it is really a book written under the Sungs,
because it was quoted by some Yiian and Ming authors; but it is
questionable to ascribe its comments to Yao K ， o，though he was definitely
a man who knew the method of fate-calculation. A third Sung dynasty
book of fate-calculation that still exists is the Yu-chao Ting Chin Ching
玉照定眞經，1 chiian. It is said to have been written by Kuo P， u
郭璞，a scholar of the Chin dynasty and to have been commented on by
Chang Yiing* 張願 . In fact it is not mentioned in any bibliography
compiled during the Sungs but a few Yiian and Ming authors quoted it.
Therefore the Ssu~kfu Ch’uan Shu Tsung M 祝43 says that probably both
the text and comments were written Chang Yung, about whose life we
know nothing.
A famous fate-calculator at the end of the Sung* dynasty was Hsu
Ta-sheng 徐大升，a native of Ch’ien-t’ang 錢塘 . According to the
San-ming T，unghhuei，after Hsii Tzu-p'ing- an expert fate-calculator was
named Ch， ung-hsii Tzu 冲虛子；he taught his method to Monk Tao-
liung 道拱 and Tao-hung went to Ch， ien-t，
ang and taught it to Hsii
40) chiian 109，tzu-pu, shu-shu 2.

4 1 ) A Sung edition of this book with the above four men’s commentaries still
exists. It is entitled Hsin-pien Ssu-chia Chu-chSeh Ching-chin Lo-lu Tzu Hsiao-hsi Fu
新編四家註解經進络子消息賦 . In the present paper this book is qtroted as
San-ming Hsiao-hsi Fu.
42) chiian 109, tzu-pu, shu-shu 2.
43) ibid. (
288 CHAO W EI-PANG
Ta-sheng44. It is the method employed by the fate-calculators of the

present time. The San-ming T’ung-huei ascribes the authorship of the
San-ming Yilan-yuan 三命淵源 and the Ting Chin Lun 定眞論 to Hsii
Ta-sheng. But in the Ssu-k'u Ch， uan Shu Tsung MuAS a book entitled
Tzu~pfing San-ming Yuan-yilan Chu 子平 ' 三命淵源註，1 chiian, is
said to have been written by Hsii Tzu-p'ing and annotated by Li Ch，in-fu
李欽夫，a Taoist priest of the Yiian dynasty. This is probably the same
book as the San-ming Yiian-yuan mentioned in the San-ming T’ung-hueir
and probably the Tung-huei is right, because if Hsii Tzu-p， ing had
written such a book, some earlier bibliographies would have mentioned it..
A book with a sirfiilar title, Yuan-hai Tzu-p'ing 淵海子平，w hich is the
most popular book of fate-calculation at the present time, claims to be
a book of Hsii Ta-sheng. Some chapters of it are noted “to be taken out
of” or “to be the same as” the Yimn-yuan. In most probabiKty this is
the San-ming Yilan-yimn enlarged and re-edited by a Ming fate-calculator.
In the Ming dynasty no famous fate-calculator can be compared
with Li Hsii-chung of T’ang and Hsti Tzu-p‘ing of Sung. But a book on
the method of fate-calculation, including nearly every detail of it, was
written in the Ming dynasty by Wan Min-ying 离民英 • It is the
San-ming T ung-huei,12 chuan. Since the Ming dynasty it has been
considered as the encyclopedia of fate-calculation and was very popular.
II. THE DOCTRINE OF THE 5 ELEMENTS AND SYSTEM

OF THE 10 STEMS AND 12 BRANCHES
Before we deal with the method of fate-calculation we must first

explain the general principles of the 5 elements and their application to
the 10 ste m s,12 branches and 60 stem-branches. The doctrine of 5
elements was first systematically expounded and applied to the successive
changes of dynasties in the history by Chou Yen 都衍，a scholar during
the period of the Waring States.46 Thence it was also applied to other
phenomena. The two foundamental principles of the doctrine are:
1 ) The 5 elements overcome one another 五行相勝 • The order
is: water 一 > fire — > m e ta l— > wood — > earth — > [water]. This
principle is later generally stated as follows: “the 5 elements destroy one
another” 五行相趙 .
2) The 5 elements produce one another 五行相生 . The order
is: wood — > fire — > earth 一 > m e ta l— > water 一 > [wood].
44) chiian 3，Tzu-p*ing Shuo-pien.

45) chiian 110, tzu-pu, shu-shu lei ts，
un-mu.
46) Shih Chi 史記，chiian 74.
From the above two principles are derived two secondary principles:
3) The principle of control 相制 . In the case that element A
Is destroyed by B but C destroys B，then it is said that C can control B
and that A is not destroyed. This relation is shown below:
Wood destroys earth; metal controls it,
Metal ” wood; fire ”
Fire ” metal; water ”
Water ” fire; earth ”
Earth ，， water; wood ,，
In this connection the controling element is always produced by
the element to be destroyed. According to some fate-calculators an
element to be produced by another is said to be the offspring of the other.
Hence the controling element is the son of the destroyed and it can
control the destroyer of its father. This is often compared to the fact
that the son can take revenge for the father.
4). The principle of dissolution 相化 . In the case that element
A is destroyed by B but C produces A, then it is said that C can dissolve
the destruction.
Wood destroys earth; fire dissolves i t . -
Fire ” metal; earth ”
Earth ” water; m e t a l ”
c Metal ” wood; water ”
Water ” fire; wood ”
Fire can produce earth, earth is increased, therefore wood cannot destroy
it. The others are explained similarly47.
The doctrine of the 5 elements was probably brought into
connection with the 10 stems and 12 branches through its application
to the changes of the weather in the course of the year. In ancient books
we find this application in three different ways. Firstly, the year is
divided into 5 equal parts, each consisting of 72 days and belonging to
one element. From the day chia-tzu 甲子 after the winter solstice the -
element wood begins to govern for 72 days> then from the day ping-tzu
丙子 fire begins, from wu~tzu 虎子 earth, from keng^tzU 庚子 metal
and from jen-tzu 壬子 water48. By such" an application of the 5 elements
according to the order of producing one -another, as a result, the stems
chia, ping, wu, king and jen are connected -with the 5 elements. The
other 5 stems, i 乙，ting 丁，chi 己，hsin 辛，and kuei 癸 might be
inserted then accordingly into this arrangement.
47) Concerning1the general principles of the 5 elements see Hsiao Chi’s Wu-hsing
Ta-i.
48) Kuan Tzu 管子，Wu-hsing p-ien 五行篇 . 、
Folk】
. V o l . v , 19
290 CHAO W EI-PANG
To apply the principle of the 5 elements to the course of the year

as mentioned above is quite regular, but it does not correspond to the
four seasons and 12 months. In order to adjust the arrangement the
second and third way arose. The second way is : each season belongs to
one element but the last month of summer^ i.e. the 6th month, belongs
by itself to one element. In spring the plants begin to grow, therefore
spring- is supposed to belong to the element wood; in sumnier weather is
hot, therefore summer belongs to fire. According to the order of the 5
elements producing one another, after fire is earth and after earth is
metal, but because in autumn the leaves fall from the trees and most
vegetables die, it should belong to metal of which the cutting and killing
instruments are made, therefore the last month of summer is put under
the control of earth. The winter is considered to belong to water, only
because it comes after autumn and water is next to metal in the order of
production.49 The third way is the same as the second, but, instead of
the sixth month, the 18 days at the end of each season belong to earth.
Sometimes it is also said that the 4 last months of the 4 seasons belong to
earth,50 We have'said that from very early times the Chinese used the
12 branches to designate the 12 months. As a result of applying the
principle of the' 5 elements to the course of the year in the third way, the
12 branches were also brought into connection with the 5 elements. The
corresponding- relationship of the 5 elements with the 4 seasons,12
m o nth s,10 stems and 12 branches is shown below:51
Table I
5 elements 4 seasons 10 stems 12 branches

12 months
wood spring chia 甲 y i n 寅
(months 1-3) i こ m a o 卯
fire summer ping 丙已
(months 4-6) ting 丁戊
戍已
辰采戍进
■ s
,e.s:u,o
n
earth the last 18 days of

each season chi
e
hs
u
A
metal autumn keng 庚 shen

(months 7-9) hsin 幸 you 酉
water winter ]en 壬 hai 亥
(months 10-12) kuei 癸 tzu 子
49) Huai-nan Tzu, Shih-tso Hsiin 時則訓 .

50) Li Chi, Yueh-ling 月令 .
5 1 ) The corresponding relationship of the 5 elements with the 10 stems and 12
branches is formulated as follows in the Huai-nan Tzu, T*ien-wen Hsiin 天文訓：
甲乙寅卯木也 • 丙巳丁午火也 •戊己四季土也 . 庚辛申酉金也. 壬癸亥子水也 .
THE G rflN ESE SC IEN CE >OF FATE-CALCULATION 291
The doctrine of the 5 elements also includes the 5 points of the

compass in its system. East belongs to wood, South to fire, Center to
earth, West to metal and North to water. As ‘soon as the 10 stems are
connected respectively with the 5 elements, they are consequently also
brought into connection with the 5 points. However, the 12 branches
ar—
e only divided into 4 parts and connected with 4 points (no center).
The connections of the 5 or 4 points with the 10 stems and 12 branches
are shbwn below: ■ -
N. N.
(jen, kuei)
U
(
(chia,1)
Center
1
E. you E.
(w u ，
chi)
ud‘ip
/ 1 . a \
(ping, ting)
The stems and branches are originally only names and bear no
meaning at all. But as soon as they are connected with the 5 elements,
each is considered to have the same nature as the element with whith it
is related. The stem chia, for instance, is supposed to have the same
nature as wood, and it is said in the terminology of the doctrine of the
5 elements that chia belongs to wood in nature. Similarly the stem ping
is said to belong to fire. Furthermore, the stems and branches are
considered to produce and destroy one another as the 5 elements. For
instance, according to the principle of production, fire is produced by
wood; then \chia is supposed to be able to produce ping. Similarly the
braneh ssu which belongs to fire is supposed to destroy shen which
belongs to metal. In the same way the principles of control and
dissolution can be applied to the stems and branches.
Besides the four foundamental principles directly borrowed from
the doctrine of the 5 elements, there are still some derivative principles.
1 ) The harmonies among stems 天千相合 . It is shown in
Table I that the 10 stems are grouped into 5 pairs, e钱cli pair belonging*
to one element. But. of each pair the first stem is, said to be a yang one
and the second a yin one. A yang stem is considered as the husband of
292 CHAO W EI-PAN G
the yin stem which, according to the principle of destruction, is destroyed

by it. For example, chia is a yang stem，belonging— to wood, and chi is
a yin stem belonging to earth; wood destroys earth; then chia is the
husband of chi. Husband and wife are harmonious. Similarly i is
harmonious with keng, ping with hsin, ting with jen, and wu with kueL
2) The harmonies among branches. The 6 pairs of harmonious
branches are formed according to the 12 divisions of the ecliptic. They
are as follows: Tzu is harmonious with ch， ou，yin with hai, mao with
hsu, chfen with you, wu with wei, Sind ssu with shen. They are called the
6 harmonies of the branches 支元六合 .
B) The 6 collisions of branches 六衝 . This is formed according
to the 12 points of the compass indicated by the 12 branches. The
branches in opposition (in the diagram on page 15) collide with each
other, viz. tzu with wu, ch，ou with wei, yin with shen, mwo with you，
ch’en with hsii and ssu with hai.
4) The 6 injuries of branches 六害 • Tzu and wei，ch， ou and
wu, yin and ssu, mao and ch， en，shen and haiネyou and hsii injure each
other. In fate-calculation harmony is good, injury is bad, and collision
is sometimes good and sometimes had.52 ^
By combining the 10 stems and 12 branches the Chinese sexagenary
cycle is formed. Each combination of a stem and a branch (which is
designated as stem-branch in the present article) has a corresponding
element. This connection was made thfough the application of the principle
of the 5 elements to the 5 musical notes 五音 . There are 12 regulators of
music 十二律，each containing 5 notes; altogether there are 60 notes.
They are represented by the 60 stem-branches. Each of the 5 notes belongs
to one element. Consequently, each of the 60 notes, and also each of the
60 combinations of stem and branch, belongs to one element. The element
to which a stem-branch belongs is called the “containing note” 納音 of
the stem-branch. Then each stem-branch is supposed to bear the same
nature as its containing note and to have the power of producing or
destroying another.
- Of the 60 containing notes 12 belong to one and the same element,
but they are said to bear different natures and are symbolized by different
•objects of the same kind. The 60 concrete objects symbolizing- the
60 notes are called “symbols of the containing notes” 納音象 .
Traditionally the invention of these symbols is held to be due to Tung-
fang Sho 東方朔 of the Han dynasty, but in truth it cannot be so early.
As far as we know, one of them is mentioned in the Ying Shih 程史 ^3，a
book of the Sung dynasty, and they are all mentioned for the first time
52) The explanation of all these principles is found in the Wu-hsing Ta-i.
53) chiian 15，Yang Ken I-ming 播良 _ 命 .
THE C H IN E SE SCIEN CE OF FATE-CALCULATION 293
in the Chfo~keng I/w 綴耕錄 54 by T’ao Tsung-i 陶宗儀 at the end of

the Yuans. In view of the fact that no book of fate-calculation of the
Sung dynasty makes mention of them, it seems probable that they were
invented in the last years of the Sungs, The 60 containing1 notes and
their symbols are as follows:
Table II
stem-branches containing notes symbols
chia-tzu metal the gold in the sea

i-ch’ou 海中金
jen-shen metal the steel on the sword-blade
kuei-you 劍鋒金
keng-shen metal the gold on the white candle
hsin-ssu 白蠟金
chia-wu metal the gold in the sand
i-wei 沙中金
jen-yin metal the gold on the paper money
kuei-mao 金箔金
keng-hsii metal the gold of the hairpin
hsin-hai 奴釧金.
ping-yen fire the fire in the stove
ting-mao 爐中火 ,
chia-hsii fire the fire on the hill-top
i-hai 山頭火
wu-tzu fire the thundering fire
chi-ch，
ou . . 霹靂火
pin^-shen fire the fire at the foot of a hill
ting-you 山下： A：
chia-shen fire the fire of a lamp under cover
i-ssu 覆燈火
wu-wu fire the heavenly fire
chi-wei 犬上火
wu-ch’eu wood the wood of a great forest
chi-ssu 大林木
jen-wu wood the willow wood
kuei-wei 楊柳木
keng-yin ^ wood the wood of the pine or cypress
hsin-mao 松柏木
4
chiian 20.
In his W u Tsa-tsu 五雜組，chiian 6.
5
Jih-chih Lu, chiian 21.

6
In the T'ung-su P ie n 、通俗榻，chiian 10<

7
294 CHAO W EI-PAN G
Table I I (Continued)
stem-branches containing notes symbols
wu-hsli wood the wood on a plain

chi-hai 平地木 ,
jen-tzu wood the wood of the mulbery tree
kuei-ch，ou 桑柘木 ] |
keng-shen wood the wood of the pomegranate
hsin-you ^ 石榴木：
keng-wu earth the wayside earth
hsin-wei 路傍土
wu-yin earth the earth on the city-wall
chi-maa 城頭土
ping-hsu earth the earth on the roof of a house
ting-hai 屋上土
keng-tzu earth the earth on the wall
hsin-ch’ou 壁上土
wu-shen earth ’ the earth of the highway station
chi-you 大驛土
, ping-ch，en earth the earth in the sands
ting-ssu 沙中土 ’
ping-tzu water the brook water
ting-chû 澗下水
chia-shen water the spring water in a well
i-you 井京水
jen-ch'en water . the flowing water
kuei-ssu 县流水
ping-wu water the water of the heavenly river
ting-wei 天河水
chia-yin water the water of a great stream
i-mao 大溪水
jen-hsii water the water of the sea
kuei-hai 大海水
III. THE FOUR PILLARS AND FATAL PERIODS
The hour, day, month and year in which one is born are called the
“four pillars” 四柱 of one’s fate by the fate-calculators.^ Each of the
four pillars is designated by a stem-branch, a combination of one heavenly
stem and one earthly branch. Altogether the four pillars consist of eight
characters, 4 stems and 4 branches. Therefore, they are also called
‘‘eight characters” 八字 and the art of fate-calculation is hence some
times called “judgment of eight characters” 批八字 . .
Han Yii of the T， ang dynasty said .that Li Hsii-chung used the
stems and branches of the day, month and year in which one was born
to judge one’s fate. He did not mention th6 hour. Hence scholars of
later times, such as Hsieh Chao-chih 謝肇蹄！ ] 55，Ku Yen-wu56, etc., said
that Li Hsii-chung and his predecessors did not use the hour in fate-
calculation. But Chai Hao 濯溷 57 pointed out that in the following line
of a T’ang poem the term eight characters was found: 八字如相許 • 終
辭尺組尋 . (If the eight characters permit, I will at last give up the
pursuing of the one foot long ribbon of the seal). This line is quoted fro 平 a
poem written to a Buddhist monk by Wu Jung 吳融 5g. It may he that
the term ‘eight characters' used here was a term of Buddhism, nothing to
do with fate-calculation, because in Buddhism the characters 生滅滅已
寂滅爲樂 are called ’eight characters， .59 In anothej poem written to
a monk by the same author the term is also found: 別來如夢亦如雲，
八字微言不復聞• （ Since we parted, it is like a dream and a cloud;
the delicate talks on Buddhism are heard no more.) It is definite that
八字微言 here means the delicate talks on Buddhism. Hence, what
Ch'ai Hao says cannot prove the existence of the fate-calculating term
‘eight characters’ and the use of the hour in the calculation in the T， ang*
dynasty. '
However, in the present edition of Li Hsii-chung’s Ming Shu the
hour, day, month and the month of pregnancy are called the four pillars,6(>
and in the San-ming Hsiao-hsi Fu and the San-ming Chih-mi Fu the month
of pregnancy is also used as a factor in the calculation. The science of
fate-calculation is also called San-ming or three fates 三命 which takes
，
its origin from the classification of fate into three kinds in the Han
dynasty, but some fate-calculators say that it means the three pillars,
day, month and year. Furthermore, some calculators call the science
fates” 五命，because they include the hour and the month of
pregnancy.60 .
It seems probable that in the earlier period the fate-calculators
worked with only the day, month and year, from the Sung dynasty they；
worked with the hour also and some even included the month of pregnancy，
but after the Sung dynasty the latter was not considered so important.
As we have said, the Chiriese generally designate the day and year
by stem-branches, but the month and hour only by earthly branches.61
But the fate-calculators can easily know the stems of the month and hour
58) uan T’ang Shih 全唐詩，chiian 25.1

This poem is found in the Ch，
59) San Chiao Chih-kuei* 三敎指歸，chiian 2.
60) Chun-chai Tu-shu Chih, chiian 14.-
6 1 ) I n case the stem-branches of the birth day and year are unknown, they can
be found in the W an Nien Li 萬年曆 or Calendar of Ten Thousand Years.
296 CHAO W EI-PAN G
according to two verses. These verses are said to be old verses even in
the San-ming Tung-hueiぬ of the Ming dynasty. The verse to know the
stem of the month from that of the year is:
甲 B 之年丙作首乙庚之歲戊爲頭
—
T*
丙辛之歲尋庚上壬壬位順行流
更有戊癸何處起甲寅之上好追求
Explanation: In the Chinese calendar the first month is always

designated by the branch yin, the second month by mao, and so on.
According to the first sentence of this verse in the years of chia (chia~tz-u,
chia-hsii, chia-shen, etc.) or chi (chi-ssu, chi-mao, chi-ch， ou， etc.); the
stem of the first month is ping, in other words, the stem-branch of the
first month is ping-yin, and accordingly the second month ting-mao，and
so on. The other sentences say that in the years of i or keng the stem
of the first month is in the years of ping or hsin that of the first
month is keng, in the years of ting or jen that of the first month is jpn,
and in the years of vm or kuei that of the first month is chia.
The verse to know the stem of the hour from that of the day is :
甲己還作甲乙庚丙作初
丙辛從戊起丁壬庚子居
戊癸何方發壬子是直途
Explanation: The Chinese diviae the day into 12 hours (each

equals two western hours) and the first hour 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. is always
denoted by the branch tzu， . the second by cKou, and so on. According to
this verse, in the days of the stem chia or chi the stem of the first hour is
also chia^，in the days of i or kSng that of the first hour is ping; m the
days of ping or h^sin that of the first hour is wu; in the days of ting or
jen that of the first hour is king and in the days of wu or kuei that of
the first hour is jen. ■
The fate-calculators tell one’s destiny using as a base, besides the
four pillars, the decennial periods of fate known a s 、 yiln 運 . The
character yiin literally means revolution; it refers to the revolution of
the sun along the ecliptic as the Chinese thinks. The ecliptic is divided
into 12 divisions; one’s life is compared to the ecliptic, its full number of
years is supposed to be 120，and 10 years make one period.
62) chiian 2, Lun Tun Yiieh Shih 論遁月時 .

THE C H IN E SE SCIEN CE OF FATE-CALCULATION 2-97
The fatal periods of one man are different from'those of another;

they are formed in the following w ay: For a man with a yang stem in his
birth year or a woman with a yin stem, the number of days from the
birth-day to the next monthly festival 月節 63 is divided by 3; the quotient
is the number of years from which age he or she will begin the first
decennial period of fate; the first period is represented by the stein-
branch which, according to the sexagenary cycle, follows that of the
birth-month. For example, a man is born in the hour ssu of the 24th day
of the 12th month of the year chia-tzu. The first monthly festival after
his birth is the beginning of spring in the hour shen of the 29th day of
the same month.. It is 5 days and 3 hours or 63 hours from his birth to
the festival.63+3 ニ2 1 . Every 3 years represents one year, then every
3 hours represents one month. 21 months makes one year and 9 months.
Then the first fatal period of this man will begin When he is one year and
9 months old. (According to the Chinese reckoning of age he is said
then to be three years old.) The stem-branch of his birth-month is
ting-ch'on, then his first decennial period of fate will be wu~yin，the
second period chi-maot and so on. For a man with a yin stem in his
birth-year or a woman with a yamg stem the method is a little different.
The number of days from the birth-day to the last monthly festival is
divided by B; the quotient is the number of years from which age he or*
she will begin the first decennial period of fate, and it is represented by
the stem-branch which, according to the order of the sexagenary cycle,
comes before that of the birth-month. For example, a man is born in the
16th day of the 1st month of the year i-ch，ou. The monthly festival before
his birth is the beginning of spring which occurs in the 1st day of the 1st
month. It is 15 days from his birth-day to that festival. Then his first
fatal period begins when he is 5 years old, and it is represented by ting4
ch’ou，because his birth-month is wu-yin,u
This method is devised probably on the basis of the comparison
of one’s life of 120 years to the 12 months. A decennial period is equal
to one month and one year to B days. The Chinese thinks that a body
should be in the womb for 10 full months,, but in general it lasts onT^y
about 9 months, therefore the time from birth to the first festival is
supposed to belong still to the time of being in the womb and the first
decennial period of fate begins after the years in proportion to that time
63) O f the 24 festivals of the year 12 are called monthly festivals; each month
has one. They are: Beginning1of S p r in g ;立春，W aking of Insects 驚楚，Ch^ng-ming
猜明，Beginning of Summer 立夏，Bearded Grain 芒種，Slight Heat 小暑，Beginning
of Autumn 立秋，White Dew 6 露，Cold Dew 寒露，Beginning of W inter 立冬，Great
Snow 大雪，Slight Cold 小寒 .
, 6 4 ) For the method of forming one’s decennial periods of fate see San-ming
Hsiao-hsi Fu, chân shang, p. 2 or San-ming Tung-huei, chiian 2 , lun Ta-yiin 論大運•
298 CHAO W EI-PANG
in the ratio of one year to 3 days. For the same reason the stem-branch
of the first decennary is that which follows the stem-branch of the birth-
month.
The decennial period of fate is called the “great fatal period”
大運 in contrast with the annual period ,of fate which is called the
“small fatal period” /J、運 . The annual period of fate of a man begins
at the first year with the stem-branch ping-yin，and proceeds according*
to the order of the sexagenary cycle; that of a woman begins at the first
year with jen^shen and proceeds reversely. The annual period is not
considered so important as the decennary.65
The fate-calculators judge one’s fate by one’s 4 pillars and fatal
periods. The 4 pillars forecast the destiny of the whole life but the fatal
periods can modify it in the respective periods of years. The former are
compared to the plants and the latter to the seasons. They say that a
plant will flourish: in a favourable season and will die in an unfavourable
one, but, in the flourishing season, if it is a tree, it will have plenty of leaves
and flowers, but, if a small herb, it cannot. Therefore, the 4 pillars are
considered more important than the fatal periods.
In fate-calculation there are some general principles concerning*
the four pillars and the. fatal periods. Here we shall explain only two
important ones. The San-ming Hsiao-hsi FuGQ says that ‘high’ 崇 is
precious and 'strange' 奇 is valuable. As to what is called ‘high’ the
interpreters hold different ideas. According to Wang T’ing-kuang it
means that “what is above produces what is below” 上生下 . Concretely
speaking, the element of year, according to the principle of production,
produces that of the month, that of the month produces that of the day
and that of the day produces that of the hour. According to Li T’ung it
means that the Element of the stem produces that of the branch. There
are two groups of ‘strange’ stems; each consists of three stems and thus
they are known as the 'three strange ones’ 三奇：んping, ting and chia,
wu, keng. In some later books the stems jen, kuei, hsin are also regarded as
three strange ones.67. A man in whose 8 characters one of the three
groups of strange stems is found will get a high position and is, therefore,
known as a noble. Besides these there are still some other rules such as
the virtue of the heaven 天德，the virtue of the month pi 德，etc.，which
are borrowed from Chinese astrology and beyond the scope of fate-
calculation.68
65) San-ming T'ung-huei, chiian 2，Lun Hsiao-yun 論小運 . *

66) Hsiao-hsi Fu, chiian shang, p. 7. 、
67) San-ming T， i 論三命.
ung-huei，chiian 3，Lun San-ch，
68) About the virtue of the heaven and the virtue of the month see San-ming
T，
ung-huei，chiian 3. ‘
The fate-calculators may be divided into two groups according to

how they use the 4 pillars. First, those who take the year as the chief
factor and draw their conclusions from the reciprocal actions between
it and the other three pillars. This method is used by fate-calculators
of earlier times and it is generally called the old method 古法 . Secondly,
those who take the day as the chief factor. Their method is called- the
new or modern method 今法 . It is used by the Hzu-p'ing school.
These two methods will be explained in detail in the following chapters.
IV. THE OLD METHOD
The old method takes the birth year as the chief factor. In the
fate-calculator^ terminology the heavenly stem of the year is called the
heavenly yuan 天元 or heavenly element, the earthly branch is called the
earthly yiian 地元 and the containing note of the stem-branch is called
the human yuan A 元 • Together they are called the three yiian 三元 69.
The heavenly yiian predicts the ‘official emolument’ 祿 of the man. In
other words, the calculators judge from it whether the man will become
a governmental official or not. The earthly yiian predicts the ‘fate’ 命
which signifies the limit of life. The human yiian predicts the ‘body’ 身
which signifies the character and ability of the man.
1 . Birth and Death of the 5 Elements
In order to explain how the fate-calculators judge one’s emolument,
fate and body from the three yiian，we must first explain the birth and
death of the 5 elements and that of the 10 stems in the course of the
year. This is evolved from the relation between the 5 elements and the
4 seasons. According to Table I on page 290 each season belongs to one
element. Conversely it is said that ixn each season one element is flourish—
ing and then the 4 other elements appear |n other four phases. Altogether
in each season the 5 elements assume five different phases : to be flourishing
王 to help 相 to retire 体 to be imprisoned 囚 and to die 死
， , ， For .
example, in the spring the element wood is said to be flourishing. Fire is

said to help wood, because, according to the principle of production, fire
is produced by wood，fire is considered to be the son of wood and the son
helps the father. Then water retires, because water produces wood and
it is the father of wood; while the son is in vigour，the father retires.
Metal destroys wood, but the fire which helps wood can destroy metal;
69) The designation of the 3 yiian varies in different books. The above system
is that of Li Hsii-chung^ Ming Shu, chiian chung, p. 5. The ste^n of the birth-year
圓 ' i
is always called hte heavenly yiian, but in the San-mmg Hsiao-hsi Fu (chiian hsia
p. 4, 9.) the branch is called the human yiian and the containing note is called the
earthly yiian. But this variation does not change the whole system; they agree
in assigning the functions of th^ branch and the containing note in the calculation.
300 . CHAO W EI-PANG
therefore it is said that in spring metal is imprisoned. Wood destroys

earth; while wood is flourishing earth dies70, The phases of the 5 elements
in the other seasons are explained similarly, They are shown in Table
III.
Table III
spring summer 6th month autumn winter
5 elements、
wood flourishes retires is imprisoned dies helps
fire helps flourishes retires is imprisoned dies
water retires is imprisoned dies helps flourishes

metal is imprisoned dies helps flourishes retires
earth dies helps flourishes retires is imprisoned
It can be seen in the above table that each element has five phases
in the year. The order is: to help, to be flourishing, to retire, to be
imprisoned and at la^t to die. It seems that each element is supposed to
be a man who lives his life in the four seasons. When he is young he
can only help his father; then he grows up and flourishes; afterwards he
retires and is imprisoned and at last dies. This idea is more concretely
expressed in the 12 phases which the 5 elements assume in the course of
the 12 months. The 12 phases are: to receive breath 受氣，to be in the
worub 胎，to be nourished 養，to be born 生，to bathe 沐浴，to wear
cap and girdle 冠帶，to become an official臨官，to flourish 王，to become
weak 衰，to get sick 病 and to die 死 . To receive breath means to
receive breath from the parents; it is the supposed beginning of a child
in the womb. To be nourished means to be nourished in the womb. To
bathe perhaps refers to a custom of washing a child three days after
birth, and to wear cap and girdle refers to the old* ceremony of capping-
冠禮 which is held for a young man of twenty years old. For the other
items no explanation is necessary. The 5 elements begin this cycle in
different months. The 12 months are generally denoted by the 12 branches.
Hence the fate-calculators generally do not say that a certain element
assumes a certain phase in a certain month but at a certain branch. This
is shown in Table IV.
Table IV is made according to the Wu-hsing Ta-i (Chapter IV ) ，but
the fate-calculators of later times changed it in some points71. First,
70) Wu-hsing Ta-i, chapter IV, Lun Ssu-shih Hsiu-wang 論西時休王 .

7 1 ) Yuan-hai Tzu-p，
ing，chiian 1.
Table IV
THMCW M的 E WCIWNCW OF F'ATE-CALCULATlOM

to re to be to be to be to to wear to be to be to get to be
ceive in the nourish born bathe cap and come an flourish、 come sick to die buried
I^
breath womb ed girdle official weak
%
wood shen you hsii hai tzu ch，

ou yin mao ch’en ssu wu wei
fire hai tzu ch，

ou yin mao ch’en ssu wu wei shen you hsii
metal yin mao .j ch’en ssu wu wei shen you hsii hai tzu ch’ou
water ssu wu wei shen you hsti hai tzu ch’ou yin mao ch，
en
earth hai tzu ch’ou mao ch’en ssu wu wei , shen you ch’en
^ -------
-----
according tb this table the cycle begins with the receiving of breath, but according to some cal
culators of later time's it begins with the item ‘to be born，，w hich is sometimes designated as ‘to
grow up’ 長生 by them. Secondly, the item ‘to be buried’ is sometimes designated as ‘to be stored
up’ 庫 and ‘to receive breath，changes to ‘to be extinct，絕 . Thirdly，according tb later books the
element earth lives its cycle of life in a different way from the above. They say that its cycle of
life,, is the same as that of the_ element fire which produces earth. Table V is made according to
the explanations of later. fate-calculators.
SOI
30 OWA O
CO
Table V
w w i -p a n g
to be to wear to.be to to be to get to- be to be to be to be
born to bathe cap and come an flourish come sick to die buried extinct in the nourish
girdle official weak womb ed
%
wood hai tzu ch，

ou yin mao ch’en ssu wu wei shen you hsii
fire yin mao ch，

en ssu wu wei < shen you hsii hai tzu ch’ou
water ssu j wu j wei shen you hsii hai tzu ch’ou yin mao ch，
en
earth shen you hsii hai tzu ch’ou yin mao ch’en ssu wu wei
metal yin mao ch，

en ssu wu wei shen you hsU hai tzu ch，
ou
We have said in the last chapter that the 10 stems -are grouped into 5 pairs; each pair
belongs to one element and is supposed to have the same nature as that element. By combining
this with Table V each stem is said to undergo the same changes through the course of 12 months
as the element to which it belongs. In other words, each stem is compared to a man and is
supposed to live its life from birth to death in the course of 12 months. But the two stems which
belong to one element are not completely the same in nature. The first one belongs to the yang
principle and the second belongs to the yin principle. According to the yin-yang theory, yang
is contrary to yin in nature. Therefore, the yang stem is said to be. born at the time when the yin
stem is dead, and vice versa. Moreover, in the course of the 12 months the yang stem lives its
life according to the natural order of the months (i.e. from 1st month to 12th month), while the
yin stem reversely72. The birth and death of the 10— stems is shown in Table VI.
72) San-ming Hsiao-hsi Fu, chiian shang, p . 1.

TaM CSN H
Table VI
to be to wear to be to ,to be to get ‘ to be to be to be
SM
to be
born to bathe cap and come an flourish come sick to die buried extinct in the nourish
girdle official. weak womb ed
SCIEN CE OF FATM-CALOULATION
chia hai tzu ch’ou yin mao ch’en ssu wu wei shen you hsii
i wu ssu ch’en mao yin ch’ou tzu hai hsii you shen wei
ping yin mao ch’en ssu wu wei shen you hsu hai tzu ch’ou
ting you shen wei wu ssu ch’en mao yin ch’ou tzu hai hsii
wu yin mao ch’en ssu wu wei shen you hsii hai tzu ch’ou
chi you shen wei wu ssu ch，
en mao yin ch’ou Uu . hai, hsii
keng ssu wu wei . shen you hsii hai tzu ch’ou yin mao ch，
en
hsin tzu hai hsii you shen wei wu ssu ch’en mao yin ch’ou
jen shen you ( hsii hai tzu ch’ou yin mao ch’en ssu wu wei
kuei mao yin ch’ou tzu hai hsii you shen wei wu ssu ch，
en
304 CHAO W EI-PAN G
2. The Official Emolument

Now we may return to our question as to how the fate-calculators
judge one's fate from the three yiian. First, how they judge one's official
emolument from the heavenly yiian or the heavenly stem of the birth-
year. The rule is: The earthly branch at which, according to Table V I ，
the stem becomes an official, is its emolument73. For example, if a man
is born in the year chia-tzu, then the branch yin represents his emolument.
I f he is born in the first month, he is said to have emolument and to
become a governmental official in the future, because the stem chia becomes
official at yin and the first month is designated by yin. In the fate-
calculators usage it is said that the emolument of chia'is at yin 甲 ,祿在寅 P
the emolument of i is at mao, etc. In judging whether a man has emolument
or not, the month is most important; it seems that most fate-calculators
do not tale the branch of the day and hour into consideration.
Besides the above rule there ’are some secondary rules. If a man
is born in a month wmch is in order before the month of his emolument，
he is said ‘to be facing towards emolument，向祿 , that is also a prediction
of his becoming honourable and rich in the future but it is not so good as,
to have the emolument. Contrarily, if the month in which one is born is
in order after the month of emolument, one is said ‘to have the emolument
behind his back’ 背祿 , which is a bad indication74. If one has in his
eight characters both the branch before the emolument branch and that
after it, this is called the ‘emolument upheld’ 拱祿 and is also a sign
of becoming a high official75. For example, for a man whose heavenly yiian
is chia, yin is his emolument; if he is born in the month ch， ou (i.e. 12th
m onth), he is facing towards his emolument; if in mao (i.e. 2nd month),
he has his emolument behind mm; if he has in his 8 characters both ch， ou
and mao, then it is said that he has the upheld emolument. Moreover, the
branch which- destroys the emolument branch is a bad indication. For
example, .the branch shen destroys the emolument branch yin of chia. In
such case, it is said that the emolument is destroyed 破祿 76.
Besides the emolument another factor which is called the school
學堂 is also connected with the< heavenly yuan and may be dealt with
bere. The fate-calculators say that the branch at which the heavenly yuan
grows up in Table VI is the school77. It is an indication of the learning of
the man. For example, for a man whose heavenly yiian is cttia, hai is the
73) San-ming Hsiao-hsi Fu, chiian shang, p. 1-2.

74) ibid. The order of the 12 branches are: tzu, ch，
ou，yin, mao, ch，
en，ssuP
wu, wei, shen, you, hsu, hai.
75) Sari-ming Hsiao-hsi Fu, chiian hsia, p . 13.
,76) San-ming Hsiao-hsi Fu, chiian shang, p. 1-2.
77) San-ming T’ung-huei，chiian 3, Lun Hsueh-fang Tzii-kuan 論學堂詞館.
THE C H IN E SE SC IE N C E OF FATE-CALCULATION 305
school; if it is found in his 8 characters, the calculators would say that he

will be a scholar. — _
3. The Fate, Wealth and Horse

Secondly, we explain how the fate-calculators judge the fate 命
or limit of life from the earthly yuan. The element to which the earthly
branch of the birth-year belongs is the representative of the fate. The
calculators judge of it by the month in which one is born. If the element
is flourishing in that month according to Table I I I ，it signifies that the
man will live a long life; on the contrary, if it retires or is imprisoned in
that month, he will die prematurely78.
Moreover, one’s fate, long or short，is also determined by the
reciprocal actions between- the fate branch and the other branches in the
8 characters. The branches harmonious with it are good signs; those
which collide with, injure or punish it, are bad ones79. Of the harmonious
branches one kind — the 6 harmonious branches — we have explained.
There is still another kind which may be dealt with here. This kind is
called the 3 harmonious branches 支元三合， Let us see Table V. The
element wood is born at hai, flourishes at mao and is stored up at weL
These 3 branches, hai，mao and wei, are called the 3 harmonious branches
of wood. Similarly, yin，wu and hsii are the 8 harmonious branches of
fire; ssu, you and ch，ou are the 3 harmonious branches of metal; and shen,
tzu and ch’en are the 3 harmonious branches of water. There are no
harmonious branches of earth80. The 6 collisions and 6 injuries of branches
have been explained in Chapter III. The 3 punishments 三刑 are closely
connected with the 3 harmonious branches. H ai， mao， wei, 'the 3
harmonious branches of wood, are said to be planished by hai，tzu, ch， ou.
The 3 punishments are very difficult to explain. It is traditionally
explained as follows: H ai, tzu, ch’ou are the 3 branches of the North;
wood is produced by water and the North belongs to water; then North
produces wooa and is hence considered as the root of wood. The branches
and leaves of a tree fall on its root when they are cut off. Therefore when
the 3 harmonious branches of wood meet with the branches of the North,
it is said that the former are punished. The 3 harmonious branches of
water {shen, tzuf cti'en) are punished by yin, mao, ch， en，because most
rivers in China flow from the West to the East; yin, mao，cWen are the
3 branches of the East; the fate-calculators think that when the 3 branches
of water meet with those of the East, it signifies that the former have
come to their end. The 3 harmonious branches of fire are punished by
ssu, wu and wei, the 3 branches of the South; and the 3 harmonious
78) San-ming hsiao-hsi Fu, chuan shang, p. 1-2,

79) ibid.
80) Wu-hsing Ta-i, chapter II. 、
Folkl. V o l . V , 20
306 CHAO W EI-PANG
branches of metal are punished by shen, you and ssu，the 3 branches of

the West. The South belongs to fire; the West belongs to matal. The
fire and metal do not move，even though they are ruined. Therefore, they
are said to be punished when they meet with the branches of their
respective directions81. The 3 harmonious stems of each element and the
branches by which they are punished are put in the following table:
Table YII
5 elements 3 harmonious branches 3 punishments
wood hai, mao, wei hai, tzu, ch，

ou
fire yin, wu, hsii ssu, wu, wei
metal ssu, you, ch，

ou shen, you, hsu
water shen, tzu, ch，

en yin, mao, ch，
en
earth
Closely connected with the 3 harmonious branches is the ‘post horse'

驛馬 . To explain it we have to come back once more to Table V. The
element wood is sick at ssu; ssu belongs to fire, which is produced by wood
and is considered to be the son of wood. The son can help the father.
Hence, when the harmonious branches of wood meet with ssu, it signifies
that they meet with a helper while they are sick. It is just like when
one comes to a posthouse and finds a horse when one is tired. Therefore,
the branch ssu is said to be the post horse of the 3 harmonious branches
of wood. If a man，whose 'fate' is hai, mao or wei, has ssu in his 8
characters, then it is said that he has the horse. The post horses of the
12 branches are as follows82:
5 elements 3 harmonious branches post horse
wood hai, mao, wei ssu
fire yin, wu, hsii shen
metal ssu, you, ch，

ou h ai
water shen, tzu, ch’en yin
8 1 ) ibid.
82) Li Hsii-chung’s Ming Shu, chiian chung, p. 5.
The post horse is considered very important by the fate-calculators. It

is a good sign. They say that a man of nobility must have both emolument
and horse.
According to many fate-calculators, one， s ‘wealth，財，being rich
or poor，is closely connected with one’s fate. They say, ‘‘What one destroys
is one’s wealth.” Concretely speaking, the element which, according to
the principle of destruction, is destroyed by the fate element, represents
the wealth. For example, a man is born in the year chia-yin; the element
wood is his fate; wood destroys earth, then earth is wealth. If he is born
in a month in whicn the element earth gets prosperous, then it signifies
that he will possess great wealth.
4. The Body
Thirdly, the human yuan or the corresponding element of the
stem-branch of the year represents the ‘body’ 身 . It seems that this
element was considered very important by the fate-calculators of earlier
times. Kuan Lo, the earliest fate-calculator we know, said that by the
containing note the fate proper was judged. But later it was not
regarded as being so important. For some calculators the body means
the character and ability of the man. They say that a man has an
analogous character and ability to the nature of his body element. For
example, the Lu-ming Shu says that a man of metal (i.e. the containing
note of the stem-branch being metal) is strong-willed and stubborn; a
man of wood is flowery and elegant; a man of water is wise and agre'eable;
a man of fire is self estimated and irritable; a man of earth is faithful
and open-minded.83 In Li Hsii-chun^s Ming Shu it is also said that
one’s character is analogous to one’s body element modified by the other
elements of the 4 pillars.84
For some other fate-calculators body is also an indication of a
long or a short life. They judge it, vigorous or weak, in the same way
as the fate. What destroys the body is called its d e v il 鬼 and is a bad
indication, if found in the 8 characters.85
Some fate-calculators regard what the body destroys as the
v/ealth.86 Examples are given in the next paragraph.
5. The Factors Considered Together .

In the San-ming Hsia-hsi Fu there is a discussion of the emolument,
fate, wealth, horse and body taken together.87 We may quote it here to
83) Quoted in the Wu-hsing Ta-i, chapter 23.

84) Li Hsii-chung*s Ming Shu, chiian chung, p. 5.
85) San-ming Hsiao-hsi Fu, chiian hsia, p . 11.
86) W ang T’ing-kuang held this idea.
87) San-ming Hsiao-hsi Fu, chiian hsia, p. 9-13.
308 CHAO W EI-PANG
conclude this chapter. First, it says, if the fate and wealth is vigorous,
the man will not be poor although he has the emolument behind his back.
Wang T'ing-kuang gives an example of this. A man is born in the month
ping-hsU，i.e. 9th month, of the year keng-yin. The wealth of this man
is earth, which is flourishing in the 9th month. (See Table III.) There
fore he will not be poor, though he has the emolument behind his back.
Contrarily, if the fate is weak anti the wealth is extinct, the man will be
poor, although he has emolument. For example, a man is born in the
year chia-ch， en and the month ping-yin. The containing note of chia-
ch’en is fire，and his wealth is metal. (Wang T'in^-kuang takes what
,the body destroys as wealth.) Metal is extinct at yin. The fate of this
man is earth, of which yin is the devil. Therefore, his wealth is extinct
and his fate is weak. Though his heavenly yuan chict has yin as its
emolument, he will be a poor man.
Secondly, if the body is prosperous and its devil is extinct, the
man will live a long* life, although his fate be destroyed. For example,
a man is born in the 1st month of the year ping-shen. The body of this
man is fire'; water is its devil. In the 1st month fire is born and water
dies, therefore he will live a long life. Contrarily, if the devil is vigorous
but the body is weak, the man will die under age, although his fate is
strong. For example, a man is born in the 4th month (i.e. ssu) of the
year chi-ssu. The body of this man is wood, of which metal is the devil.
Wood gets sick at ss4 but metal grows up at it. Therefore the body is
weak but its devil is strong. This man will die prematurely.
Thirdly, if the emolument and the horse are at the same branch,
the man will be a hig*h official. For example, a man is born in the hour
ping-yin of the day chi-hai of the month ting-ch，ou of the year chia-shen,
His emolument and horse are both at yin. Contrarily, if a man has the
emolument behind his back and runs after the horse.背祿逐馬，he will
be very poor. For example，a man is born in the 4th month of the ydar
chia-hsil. His emolument is at ym and his horse is shen. He is born in
the month ssuf which is in order after yin and before shen. He is said
to have the emolument behind his back and runs after the horse.
V. THE N EW METHOD ■
The new method of fate-calculation distinguishes itself from the

old, first of all, in that it does not use the birth-year but the birth-day
as the chief faotor and judges the fate from the reciprocal actions of the
day on one side and the year, month and hour on the other.
Some fate-calculators of the new school compare the 4 pillars to
a plant. The year is the root, the month is the sprout, the day is the
flower and the hour is the fruits.88 They are also considered as the*
representatives of one and one’s family. The year represents the ancestry,
the month the parents, the day one’s self and wife, and the hour the
children.89
The new method has a quite different system from the old. It is
composed of four main headings: the official官，wealth 財，s e a l 印 and
food 食 . They are founded solely on the principles of production and
destruction of the 5 elements.
1 . The Official
' The four headings are said to have been formed by Hsii Tzu-p'ing,
the founder of the new method,90 but in his comments to the San-ming
Hsiao-hsi Fu only discussions of the first two headings are found. The
official is also called ‘official and seal’ in his comments. To avoid
confusing it is always called official in the present paper.
The definition of the official is: What destroys me is the official.
According to the new method, the heavenly stem of the birth-day is the
heavenly yuan，which is supposed to be the representative of the man
himself. It belongs to one element; the element which destroys this
element is regarded as the official of the man. For example, a man is
born in the day of the stem chia, which belongs to wood, wood is destroyed
by metal, then metal is his official. The stems keng and hsin，which
belong to metal, represent his official. But, according to the yin-yang
theory, a yang stem and a yin stem are harmonious; two yang stems or
two yin stems are one-sided. Chia and keng are yang stems but hsin is
a yin stem; therefore, hsin is said to be the proper official正官 of chia,
and keng is the one-sided official偏官 of it. On the contrary, for the man
who is born in the year % which belongs to wood also but is a yin sbem,
keng, is the proper official but hsin is the one-sided official. An earthly
branch which destroys the heavenly yuan is also considered as an official.
For example, the branch you is the proper official of chia, and shen is
the. one-sided official of it.91
The proper official is an indication of becoming a governmental
official in the future. But the one-sided official is a bad indication. It is
also called the ‘killer，or the ‘seventh killer’ 七煞，because it is always the
seventh stem from the heavenly yiian in the 10 stems. It will be better
\
8
8
l/
San-ming T ung-huei, chiian.

\
l/ l/
Tzti-p，
in g San-ming Hsiao-hsi Fu Chu, chiian shang, p. 1-2.
8
9
\ H.
San-ming T， ung-huei，chiian 5, Lun Ku-jen Li Y in Shih Kuan Ts，

a i Ming-i
9
0
論
立印食官財名義 .
)
San-ming T，
ung-huei，chiian 5, Lun Cheng-kuan and Lun P ’ien-kuan.
/
^
9
1
310 CHAO W EI-PAN G
,if there is in the 8 characters a stem or branch which controls it. For
example，for the man whose heavenly yiian is chia, keng is the killer;
if the stem ping is found in the 8 characters, then the killer is controled.
That a controled killer meets with the seal is an indication of becoming
an official.92 '
It is better that the. official is found in the stem-branch of the
month. The stem-branch of the year predicts the fate before fifteen
years of age, that of the hour predicts the fate after fifty. It is too early
to find the official in the year and.too late to find it in the hour.93
If the official is helped and supported by wealth and seal, and
there is no ‘injurer of the official’ and no killer in the 4 pillars, the man
will become a high official when the stem or branch of his fatal period is
also the official of his heavenly yuanM.
The birth and death of the 5 elements in the course of the year
plays an important role in the new method as explained by Hsti Tzu-p， ing.
In the case of the official，he says, a man is born in the month when th^
element which is his official is flourishing, then he surely be a high
official in the future; contrarily if the element dies, he will be a lay-man
though he has official in his 8 characters. Basing himself on this reason
Hsii Tzu-p'ing criticizes the emolument of the old method. An example
may be quoted to illustrate this point. According to the old method the
branch shen is the emolument of the stem keng, but according to the new
method ting is the official of keng, Hsii Tzu-p’ing says that in the month
shen，i.e. the seventh month, the fire of ting is sick and keng has no
official at all.95
Concerning the ‘facing to emolument， and ‘having emolument
behind one’s back’，Hsti Tzu-p’ing also holds a different idea from the
fate-calculators of old method. He, says，when a man is born in a clviw
day and in autumn, and there is no ping or ting in his 4 pillars, then he
is facing to the emolument, because the official of chia is metal, which
is flourishing in autumn. Contrarily, if a man is born on the day jen-ivu
and in the spring, then he has the emolument behind his back, because
the official of jen is earth, which is dead in spring96.
2. The Wealth
The definition of wealth is : What I destroy is the wealth. For
instance, the wealth of a man who is born in the day with the stem chia,
2)
丨 ibid.
3)
丨 ibid.
4)
丨 ibid.
丨
5) Tzu-p，ing，chuan shang, p . 18.
»6 ) Tzfi-p’ing，chiian shang, p. 2.
is the stem chi, Chia belongs to wood, chi belongs to earth, wood destroys
earth, therefore chi is the wealth of chia. Similarly wu is the wealth
of i. But wu is the one-sided wealth 偏財 of chia and chi is the one
sided wealth of L The principle of differenciating the proper wealth
from the one-sided wealth is the same as that differenciating the proper
from the one-sided official. Q h i is also considered as the wife of chia，
therefore the wealth is also called ‘wife and w ealth' 妻貝オ. The branches
ch'en，hsii, ch，ou，wei are also the wealth of chia and i 97 If the wealth
is found in the year or month, it is an indication that the man will
inherit a great property from his ancestry and parents; if it is found on
the day or hour, it predicts that he will become rich after his middle age.
The proper wealth is an indication of getting the wealth which one should
have; the one-sided wealth is that of getting unexpected wealth. It is
better to find the wealth, official and seal all in the 8 characters.98
Closely connected with the wealth is the ‘robber of wealth’ 规財，
For example, for the heavenly yikm i，chia is the robber of wealth, because
the wealth of i is wu and chi which belong to earth, and chia which
belongs to wood can capture wu as its wife and destroy chi. Conversely,
if chia is the heavenly yiian, then i is the robber of wealth. In one word,
the two stems which belong to the same element are the robbers of weath
for each other. If a yang stem is the heavenly yuan and meets with a
yin robber of wealth, it predicts that the wife of the man will die not
long after marriage; if a yin heavenly yiian meets with a yang robber
of wealth, it predicts loss of money."
3. The Seal
The third heading is the seal. Under this heading there are two
items: the ribbon attached to the seal 印絞 and the one-sided s e a l 印.
The fate-calculators say that v/hat produces me is the seal. Concretely
speaKmg, the stem of the birth-day is the representative of the man, it
belongs to one of the 5 elements, and according to the principle of produc
tion it is produced by another element. The latter element is the seal. For
example，for a man who is born on the day chia, water is the seal, because
chia belongs to wood and water produces wood. The stems kuei and hai
belong to water; kuei，a yin stem, is the seal-ribbon and hai，a yang stem，
is the one-sided seal.100
In his commentary to the San-ming Hsiao-hsi Fu Hsii Tzu-p^ng has
no explanation of the seal in general but only of the importance of the
97) San-ming Tung-huei，chtian 5，Lun Cheng-ts，

ai and Lun P’ien_ts’ai.
98) ibid.
99) Tzu-p'ing, chiian shang, p. 23.
100) Tzu-p，
ing，chiian shang, p. 1-2. San-ming T，
ung-huei，chiian 5，Lun Yin-shoa0
312 CHAO W EI-PANG
seal-ribbon. He says that, for instance, for the stem chia, hsin is the official,
it belongs to metal and can be destroyed by the fire of ting，but kuei cati
control ting and save the official hsin. According to Chinese custom the
certification of an official is the seal of his office; what keeps the seal from
losing is the seal-ribbon, therefore what keeps the official from losing* is
known as the seal-ribbon.
An official can order and control his subjects as long as he has
the seal. Hence the fate-calculators think that it is as important to the
official as the soul to a man, and say that the seal in the 8 characters
signifies the will and wisedom of the man. A man with the seal-ribbon will
be clever and wise, merciful and kind, fat and healthy. I f he is an
official, either civil or military, he will be the principal and not the
secondary101. It is better to find in one's characters the seal-ribbon
co-existing with the official, but the seal may be damaged by too much
wealth.102
The one-sided seal will be explained in the next section.
4. The Food ノ ’ 』 .
The ‘food，is also called ‘god of food’ 食神 . The definition is:
What I produce is the food. We had better explain it by an example.
For the heavenly yikm chia, ping is the, food, because king is its killer and
wu is its wealth, keng belongs to metal and wu belongs to earth，but ping ，
which belongs to fire，can control the killer and produce the wealth.
Similarly, the：branch ssu is also its food. Ping and sM belong to fire,
chia belongs to wood, wood produces fire, therefore it is said that what the
heavenly yiian produces is the food.103
The stem ting belongs to the same element as ping，but it is not
considered as the food of chia. It is called the ‘injurer of the official，
傷官 . The official of chia is hsin，which belongs to metal, and the
fire to which tmg belongs can destroy it, therefore ting is said to be the
injurer of the official of chia. Ping and ting belong to the same element
but they are different in their relation to chia, because the former is a
yin stem and the later a yang one.104
Now we may explain the second item of the third heading, the
one-sided seal, which is also called the ‘upsetter of food’ 倒食 . As we
have just explained, the food of chia is ping，w hich belongs to fire; jen ，
the one-sided seal of chia, belongs to water and destroys ping, therefore
101) San-ming T’ung-huei，chiian 5，Lun Yin-shou.

102) ibid.
103) San-ming T’ung-huei，chiian 5，Lun Shih-shen.
104) San-ming Tung-huei, chiian 5, Lun Shang-kuan.
Table VIII
official wealth seal food

heavenly match robber of
proper one-sided proper one-sided one-sided god of injurer shoulder weath
yiian
official official wealth wealth ribbon seal food of official
TWH oWINMSEl SCIMNCU 0 ；

chia hsm keng chi wu kuei ]en ping ting chia
you shen ch’oi ch，en tzu hai ssu wu yin
wei hsii
i keng hsin wu chi jen kuei ting ping chia
shen you ch*ei ch，ou hai tzu wu ssu mao yin
wei
ping kuei jen hsin keng chia wu chi pmg ting
hai you shen mao yin ch’en ch’ou ssu wu
hsii wei
ting kuei keng hsin chia chi wu ting pmg
hai tzu shen you yin mao ch’ou ch’en wu ssu
wei hsu
wu chia kuei jen ting ping keng hsjn wu chi
P FATU-OALCULATION
、
m ao yin tzu hai wu ssu shen you ch， en ch，ou
hsii w ei
chi chia jen kuei ping ting hsin keng chi wu
yin mao hai tzu ssu wu you shen ch， ou ch，en
wei hsii
keng ting Ping chia chi wu jen kuei keng hsin
ssu mao yin ch，ou ch，en hai tzu shen you
w ei hsii
hsin ping ting chia wu chi kuei jen hsin keng
ssu yin m ao ch’en ch’ou tzu hai you shen
wei
a ,e
]'en chi wu
ch
ting ping hsin keng chia i jen kuei
ch’ou hs wu ssu you shen yin mao hai tzu
wei
u
kuei wu ping ting keng hsi i chia kuei jen

i
ch’en ssu wu shen you mao yin tzu hai

，o
hsii
313
e
i
314 CHAO W EI-PAN G
it is said to be the upsetter of food of chia, Thi^ is a bad indication.

A man who has it in his 8 characters will be a very poor and mean fellow
or die immaturely.105
5. A Conclusion
In the above, nine items of the scheme of the new method have
been explained. Of the 10 stems one is the heavenly yiian and the 9
others are supposed to act upon it respectively according to these items.
For example, if i is the heavenly yiian ，then chia is the robber of wealth,
pin^g is the injurer of official，tm g is the god of food, wu is the Jproper
wealth, chi is the one-sided wealth, keng is the proper official, hsin is
the seventh killer, jen is the seal-ribbon. and kuei is the upsetter of food.
When the same stem as the heavenly yiian is found in the 8 characters,
it is called the ‘match shoulder’ 比肩 . It is better to have the seventh
killer to control it. Moreover, the branches are also supposed to have
the respective relations. In Table V III each stem is taken as the heavenly
yuan once and the delations of all stems and branches to it are shown.
One’s family is also predicted by the above-mentioned items. For
a man the calculators first consider the wealth and the official. They say
that when one has wealth，then one can have a wife. If one has the
official，then one can have children. The seal-cord represents one，s parents，
because it produces the heavenly yuan; and the match shoulder represents
one’s brothers. If one of these items is destroyed, it predicts the sickness
or death of the relative it represents. For a woman, the official is her
husband. The god of food and the injurer of official represent her
children, because they are produced by the heavenly yiian. The seal-cord
represents her parents and the match shoulder represents her sisters106-
VI. CONCLUSIVE REMARKS

The above is but an outline of the two systems of Chinese fate-
calculation. Yet it seems to suffice to show what it is in its essence.
Having explained the whole system, the author would like to end with
a few conclusive remarks.
In construction, the idea of the three powers of nature 三才，
heaven, earth and man, is embodied in the system of the old method and
they are made its skelton, i.e. the three yiian. The ideal life of the Chinese
consists of happiness, emolument and longevity, which are idealized as
105) San-ming Tûng-huei, chuan 5，Lun Tao-shih.

106) San-ming T，ung-huei，chiian 5，Lun Ku-jen Li Yin Shih Kuan Ts’ai Ming-i.
Cf. Chang Nan’s Ming-li Cheng-tsung 張楠 , 命理正宗 chiian 3，K ，
an-ming tsieh-chueh
看命捷訣 .
three auspicious stars. The Chinese also say that the happiness is endowed
by the Official of Heaven 天官賜福 and the wealth is produced by the
Official of Earth 地官生財 . The fate-calculators combined these ideas
with the three yuan. However, the idea of happiness is too abstract; it
Is not found in the system of fate-calculation, but the emolument is con
nected with the heavenly yiian. Longevity becomes fate and body in
fate-calculation; they are considered to be connected with the earthly and
human yuan. Wealth and horse are two newly added elements; the former
is based on the idea that what one can use, control or destroy is one’s
property and the latter on the idea that one receives help from the horse.
The center of the system of the new method is the official，which
takes its origin in the idea that one thing can be made useful by another
which can destroy it. Fire can melt metal and can make useful objects
of it; a knife can cut wood and wooden objects cannot be made without
a knife. This idea was applied to fate-calculation in very old times107.
The idea of wealth of the new method is inherited from that of the old
method, and the other two items, seal and food, of the new method are
directly derived from rhe official. Thus is the new method formed.
In reasoning, analogy plays a great role in the doctrine of the 5
elements, and it is inherited by the science of fate-calculation. The most
important theory on which the old system of fate-calculation is based is
the different phases of the 5 elements in the course of the year. As a
point of fact, of the 5 elements, only wood undergoes during the year the
changes the doctrine claims. Fire has only a similar nature with the
weather of summer, that is the heat, but it cannot be said that fire is
flourishing in the summer. Earth and mefal have no changes at all during
the y>ear. It is especially absurd to say that water flourisnes in the winter
and dies in the 6th month or at the end of the 4 seasons. The birth and
death of the other 4 elements is only an analogy with that of wood or
plants. Hence we may say that the life of plants in the course of the
year is the kernel of the doctrine of the 5 elements. This points to its
agricultural background. The fate-calculation goes further on the same
line. The cycle of life of the 5 elements as well as that of the 10 stems in the
12 months is compared to tihe life of a man from birth to death, and one’s
life is supposed to be represented by a stem. Consequently, the cycle of
life of plants and that of man is combined by analogy. It seems that in
the eyes of the inventors of fate-calculation there is an inner connection
between them. This also betrays the spirit of an agricultural people.
Although being a new system on the base of the doctrine of 5
elements, fate-calculation includes in itself also some elements of ancient
Chinese astrology, which will be dealt with in another paper.
107) Li Hsii-chung^ Ming Shu, chiian shang, p . 1.

Chinese Fate Calculation

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THE CHINESE SCIENCE OF FATE-GALCULATION

H is to r y :1 ) origin, 2) before the IV. The Old M e t h o d :1 ) birth and

“Fate-calculation” is the literal translation of the Chinese term

I. HISTORY OF CHINESE FATE-CALCULATION

* The author is indebted to Mr. Li Hsin-wu 李 龛 午 ;^ an assistant of the Department

1 ) Chiu T’ang Shu 奮 唐 書 ，chiian 79.

6) Ku-tung Suo Chi 骨 董 瑣 記 ，chiian 5. p. 22.

According to Ts’ai Yung’s 蔡 扈 Yueh-ling Chang-chil 月 令 章 句 7

of the Chin dynasty to the Tso Chuan.

10) Wu-hsing Ta-i，chapter I, section 2.

Sun Seng-hua 孫 僧 化 ，who wrote the Lu-ming Shu 祿 命 書 ，2

23) Pei Shih 北 史，chiian His work is mentioned in the Hsin T，

was a famous diviner and fate-teller in Ch’ang-an 安 長 in the period of

Li Hsii-chung held a prominent position in the history of Chinese

4. Hsii Tzu-p'ing and Hsii Ta-sheng

it began to circulate in the period of Hsiian-ho 宣 和 and Chien-yen 建 炎

40) chiian 109，tzu-pu, shu-shu 2.

Ta-sheng44. It is the method employed by the fate-calculators of the

II. THE DOCTRINE OF THE 5 ELEMENTS AND SYSTEM

Before we deal with the method of fate-calculation we must first

44) chiian 3，Tzu-p*ing Shuo-pien.

To apply the principle of the 5 elements to the course of the year

5 elements 4 seasons 10 stems 12 branches

earth the last 18 days of

metal autumn keng 庚 shen

49) Huai-nan Tzu, Shih-tso Hsiin 時 則 訓 .

The doctrine of the 5 elements also includes the 5 points of the

the yin stem which, according to the principle of destruction, is destroyed

in the Chfo~keng I/w 綴 耕 錄 54 by T’ao Tsung-i 陶 宗 儀 at the end of

stem-branches containing notes symbols

chia-tzu metal the gold in the sea

Jih-chih Lu, chiian 21.

In the T'ung-su P ie n 、通 俗 榻 ，chiian 10<

stem-branches containing notes symbols

wu-hsli wood the wood on a plain

III. THE FOUR PILLARS AND FATAL PERIODS

58) uan T’ang Shih 全 唐 詩 ，chiian 25.1

Explanation: In the Chinese calendar the first month is always

Explanation: The Chinese diviae the day into 12 hours (each

62) chiian 2, Lun Tun Yiieh Shih 論 遁 月 時 .

The fatal periods of one man are different from'those of another;

65) San-ming T'ung-huei, chiian 2，Lun Hsiao-yun 論 小 運 . *

The fate-calculators may be divided into two groups according to

example, in the spring the element wood is said to be flourishing. Fire is

therefore it is said that in spring metal is imprisoned. Wood destroys

spring summer 6th month autumn winter

fire helps flourishes retires is imprisoned dies

water retires is imprisoned dies helps flourishes

70) Wu-hsing Ta-i, chapter IV, Lun Ssu-shih Hsiu-wang 論 西 時 休 王 .

THMCW M的 E WCIWNCW OF F'ATE-CALCULATlOM

wood shen you hsii hai tzu ch，

fire hai tzu ch，

wood hai tzu ch，

fire yin mao ch，

metal yin mao ch，

72) San-ming Hsiao-hsi Fu, chiian shang, p . 1.

to be to wear to be­ to ,to be­ to get ‘ to be to be to be

2. The Official Emolument

73) San-ming Hsiao-hsi Fu, chiian shang, p. 1-2.

school; if it is found in his 8 characters, the calculators would say that he

3. The Fate, Wealth and Horse

78) San-ming hsiao-hsi Fu, chuan shang, p. 1-2,

branches of metal are punished by shen, you and ssu，the 3 branches of

5 elements 3 harmonious branches 3 punishments

* The author is indebted to Mr. Li Hsin-wu 李龛午 ;^ an assistant of the Department

1 ) Chiu T’ang Shu 奮唐書，chiian 79.

6) Ku-tung Suo Chi 骨董瑣記，chiian 5. p. 22.

According to Ts’ai Yung’s 蔡扈 Yueh-ling Chang-chil 月令章句 7

Sun Seng-hua 孫僧化，who wrote the Lu-ming Shu 祿命書，2

23) Pei Shih 北史，chiian His work is mentioned in the Hsin T，

was a famous diviner and fate-teller in Ch’ang-an 安長 in the period of

it began to circulate in the period of Hsiian-ho 宣和 and Chien-yen 建炎

49) Huai-nan Tzu, Shih-tso Hsiin 時則訓 .

in the Chfo~keng I/w 綴耕錄 54 by T’ao Tsung-i 陶宗儀 at the end of

In the T'ung-su P ie n 、通俗榻，chiian 10<

58) uan T’ang Shih 全唐詩，chiian 25.1

62) chiian 2, Lun Tun Yiieh Shih 論遁月時 .

65) San-ming T'ung-huei, chiian 2，Lun Hsiao-yun 論小運 . *

70) Wu-hsing Ta-i, chapter IV, Lun Ssu-shih Hsiu-wang 論西時休王 .

to be to wear to be to ,to be to get ‘ to be to be to be